KARACHI: Former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf has said that the board's move to file a compensation claim against India in the ICC disputes resolution committee would prove to be useless.
"The MOU is just a piece of paper and on top of that there is no clause in it which says that either party can go to the ICC disputes resolution committee for any compensation claim," Ashraf said.
"I don't know under which law they are filing for compensation," he questioned.
Ashraf, who was heading the PCB when the Big three formula of governance was implemented by the ICC, said that he didn't know why the Pakistan Cricket Board was hell bent on wasting so much funds on a "useless project".
"I don't know which law firms they have consulted or which law firms they want to give benefit too. But to me the compensation claim is a useless venture from which we will gain nothing." Sethi has left for London where he is due to hold a final round of talks with lawyers as he has announced Pakistan will file its compensation claim with the ICC in January.
Ashraf said that when he was chairman and refused to support and sign the Big Three government system, the Indian cricket board had offered to sign a MOU to play bilateral series.
"I told them that this MOU was useless since it didn't have any clause which allowed the PCB to approach an arbitrator to get compensation if India didn't honour the document. And if Indian board backed out where would we go and whom we approach for justice," he said.
"I don't know what prompted him (present chairman Najam Sethi) to sign this MOU on a piece of paper with no proper clauses to cover Pakistan's damages." Ashraf also questioned the budget of nearly one and half billion rupees approved for the renovation and upgrade of the national stadium in Karachi.